The present invention relates to apparatus for peeling vegetables and fruit, and relates in particular to apparatus for peeling vegetables, such as butternut squash and turnip that have irregular or tough exterior skin surfaces.
It is well known for apparatus that peel vegetables and fruit to utilize an axle-like support to secure and rotate the object to be peeled while a peeling device supported by a mechanical arm moves along an exterior surface of the object. For example, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,881,406 to Perez that issued on May 6, 1975, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,022 to Chai that issued on Nov. 25, 1997, and in U.S. Pat. No. 6,125,744 to Martin that issued on Oct. 3, 2000, similar devices support and rotate an object to be peeled while a cutting assembly moves along the exterior surface of the vegetable or fruit. While such devices are capable of adequately peeling specific vegetables, it is also known that they involve complex machinery that is costly to operate and maintain. For example, many such machines require a flow of cleaning fluid such as water to be directed to the area to be peeled to move cut peels away from the object being peeled to enhance subsequent processing of the object.
Additionally, known automatic peelers cannot efficiently peel vegetables or fruit having a non-spherical exterior surface, or having a thick, leathery or tough exterior surfaces. Known automated peelers utilized to peel butternut squash, which has an elongate stem section and a larger spherical section, utilize complicated spinning cutters in order to effectively cut the tough skin of the squash over its irregular surface. Such spinning cutters are very noisy, expensive to operate and maintain, and pose a safety risk to both an operator of the peeler and consumers of the peeled squash whenever a spinning cutter ejects a broken portion of the cutter either away from the peeler apparatus or into the squash. Additionally, in order for the spinning cutter to track the irregular butternut squash surface, it effectively cuts away a significant portion of the squash, which is lost for subsequent processing of the squash.
Accordingly, there is a need for an automated peeler that can efficiently peel an object such as a butternut squash and other fruits or vegetables having irregular and/or tough exterior surface skin.
The invention is an automated peeler for automatically peeling vegetables or fruit. The peeler includes a frame having a first end and an opposed second end; a peeler carriage supported by the frame extending between the first and second ends of the frame; a peeler support adjustably secured to the peeler carriage so that the peeler support may move between the first and opposed second ends of the frame; a split support axle rotatably secured between the first and second ends of the frame for supporting and rotating an object to be peeled; a motor drive mechanically coupled to the peeler carriage for selectively moving the peeler support along the peeler carriage, and mechanically coupled to the split support axle for rotating the object to be peeled. The peeler support includes a blade arm having a first end and an opposed second end, and the first end is adjustably secured to a torsion driver that drives the second end of the blade arm toward the split support axle. An articulating blade mount is secured to the second end of the blade arm, and the articulating blade mount is secured to the second end of the blade arm so that the blade mount may pivot about an axis defined as extending between the first and opposed second ends of the blade arm. A peeling blade is secured to the articulating blade mount. The peeler support and split support axle are cooperatively positioned so that whenever the peeler support is driven along the peeler carriage by the motor drive, the peeling blade may be selectively positioned by the torsion driver to contact and peel the object to be peeled as the motor drive means rotates the split support axle and object to be peeled.
Because the articulating blade mount may articulate or pivot about the axis between the first and second ends of the blade arm, the peeling blade rotates or pivots to track a surface contour of the object being peeled such as a butternut squash, instead of cutting deeply into, or failing to peel an irregular surface of the object.
In a preferred embodiment, the peeling blade comprises an arcuate cutting surface having at least one blade tip extending above a throughbore defined in the arcuate cutting surface of the peeling blade at a point on the surface that is farthest from the articulating blade mount and that is also closest to the object to be peeled. Therefore, as the object to be peeled rotates within the split support axle against the blade tip, a peel of the object passes through the throughbore defined in the peeling blade. The peeling blade may be positioned relative to the object being peeled so that gravity causes the peel passing through the throughbore to pass away from the peeling blade and object in the direction of the force of gravity.
In a further preferred embodiment, the peeling blade may include a plurality of rows of blade tips including one or two blade tips that extend above throughbores defined within the arcuate surface to define a central ridge of blade tips along the arcuate cutting surface, which central ridge includes blade tips that are defined within the arcuate surface as farthest from the articulating blade mount and closest to the object to be peeled, and the peeling blade defines a first shoulder ridge and a second shoulder ridge parallel to and on opposed sides of the central ridge of blade tips wherein the first and second shoulder ridges define throughbores having no blade tips. As the object to be peeled rotates against the peeling blade, the blade tips in a row of the central ridge peel the fruit, while the shoulder ridges contact the object being peeled thereby preventing the blade tips of the central ridge from penetrating the object beyond a desired depth defined as a shortest distance between the blade tips of the central ridge and the arcuate surface defining the shoulder ridges.
In an alternative embodiment, the torsion driver may be a spring-loaded, hydraulic actuator, such as a standard door opener, that includes a tensioned open position; a forced closing movement; and, that also includes an adjustable force setting to adjust the force applied during the forced closing movement through the blade arm to the peeling blade to adjust the automated peeler for varying vegetables or fruits. Additionally, the articulating blade mount may include an adjustable biasing structure, such as a coiled spring, to provide varying sensitivity of pivoting of the peeling blade as it tracks an irregular surface of the object being peeled.
In a further preferred embodiment, the peeler support may be engaged to and moved along the peeler carriage by a manually actuated split-nut clamp that includes a cylindrical nut having internal threading dimensioned to mate with threading of a carriage screw that is rotated by the motor. The cylindrical nut is split length wise, and each half is secured to opposing clamps of a hand clamp having a cam fastening structure, such as the well-known xe2x80x9cVICE GRIPxe2x80x9d brand hand clamp. The split-nut clamp is secured to the peeler support, and whenever the object to be peeled is rotating, and the peeling blade is positioned by the torsion driver against a beginning end of the object to be peeled, an operator manually closes the split-nut clamp so that each half of the split nut closes upon and mates with the spinning carriage screw, and the split-nut clamp thereby causes the peeler support and attached peeling blade to move along the peeler carriage as the peeling blade peels the object. Whenever the object is peeled, the operator simply opens the split-nut clamp to disengage the peeler support from the carriage screw, and then the peeler support may be manually moved back to position the peeling blade to peel another object to be peeled that is secured within the split support axle.
In a further preferred embodiment, the peeling blade may be a common carpenters half-round file blade, such as sold under the brand name or trademark xe2x80x9cSURFORMxe2x80x9d, model number 5-21-299, sold by the Stanley Tools Company of New Britain, Conn., U.S.A., wherein the shoulder ridges are formed by filing down to a flat surface the blade tips adjacent the one or two central blade tips that define the central ridge of blade tips. Additionally, the articulating blade mount that secures the peeling blade may be adjustable, so that after one or two rows of blade tips are utilized, the blade may be moved within the blade mount so that the next one or two rows of blade tips are positioned to contact the object to be peeled. In this way, a standard half-round file may be adjusted approximately 40 times to extend a useful life of the peeling blade.
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide an automated peeler that overcomes deficiencies of prior art peelers of vegetables and fruits.
It is a more specific object to provide an automated peeler that is inexpensive to manufacture, operate and maintain.
It is yet another object to provide an automated peeler that may efficiently peel vegetables having irregular shapes and/or tough, leathery skins.
It is a further object to provide an automated peeler that may be readily adjusted to peel a variety of differing vegetables and fruits.